Someone Old, Someone New
by BrindleRo16
Summary: AU. When Pepper leaves Tony Hermione is there to fix the hurt, but what happens when the two women clash? Adventure, romance, and general craziness. Review, review, review!
1. Chapter 1

Tony Stark

**Authors Note: Thanks for choosing this particular story to read out of the many, many others! Review it if you like it, review it if you didn't and tell me why! **

**(I don't own anything blah-de-blah and whatnot. Enjoy!)**

"Goddammit, JARVIS!" The welding helmet flew open and Tony dropped his welding torch. "Why isn't this on full power?! The metal isn't just going to _melt itself!"_ He pulled the helmet off and dropped it, too, running his hands through his hair and over his face.

"I am very sorry, sir, but that specific unit only reaches a maximum of 1450° Celsius, while titanium melts at 1668° Celsius. I recommend a new unit, sir." JARVIS replied, giving a chuckle.

"Dummy, clean this up." Tony swept his arm towards the mess of suit parts and titanium pieces. "JARVIS, open the blinds." A blinding light filled the dark lab, forcing an arm over Tony's eyes. "Slowly! Open them slowly!" He turned from the light and stumbled to a chair, nearly collapsing into it. Resting his face in his hands, Tony turned the previous day's events in his mind.

Pepper left. She really left. It had started with yelling, as it always did, and ended when his rage sent a marble vase flying across the room. Her eyes had welled with tears. She had moved from him as if she was scared. Scared of _him. _She wouldn't even let him near her, so he could try to comfort her and tell her how absurd he had been, that he hadn't meant to chuck it so far, to break the glass panel of wall. Instead she rushed to their room and pulled her clothes from every drawer and closet, stuffing it all in bags. Screaming at him that this was it, she was done. Pushing past him and having JARVIS call a cab and get her a plane ticket to her mother's. He didn't even get the chance to say goodbye.

The weight of her loss was crushing him, wiping his mind of all sanity. Of course his ancient arc welder maxed out at a lower temperature. His good unit was in the shop, due to a small explosion in the lab, and he was forced to use the old one. "When is the other unit coming back?" He lifted his head.

"The status says it is ready for pickup. Shall I send for it?" JARVIS pulled up the website of Nathan's Welding Emporium. A green checkmark next to the receipt for the repair of his 450 duo CST showed that the mechanic had finished with it.

"No, I'll go after it myself. Pull the truck around front." Tony stood and strode upstairs, avoiding looking at the framed picture of Pepper hanging at the end of the stair well. He had it placed after her 32th birthday. He had originally put it up in the dining room, but she had protested, complaining that she didn't want to look at herself as she ate. The memory made Tony smile for a moment before he shook his head and walked faster. He walked past the door and out the still shattered panel, making a mental note of getting it replaced sooner rather than later.

The Chevy Silverado sat idling in the drive, a small trailer for the unit hitched to it already. As he drove down to the highway, Tony searched the radio for a suitable rock station. His usual was playing Christmas music far too early, and the more popular stations insisted on playing pop music. After a few minutes of hit and miss, he found one playing Def Leppard and he twisted the volume knob to its highest setting. Music so loud made it very hard to think, and if he couldn't think he wouldn't be worried about Pepper.

It didn't take him long to find the shop and pick up his unit. Instead of rushing back to his lab to finish his newest suit, Tony decided to find some lunch. He had missed breakfast, and dinner, too, the night before. He had been working since Pepper left and that gave him very little time for his mind to wander if it was constantly focused on dynamics, plate placement, and other such things. A host of fast food places lined this street, but not one sounded good to him. Nearly a mile passed before he saw the small sign pointing at a hole-in-the-wall café. He braked hard and turned into the gravel lot, parking closer to the back.

It was a small establishment boasting a neon sign that read Lou's Kitchen in swirly script. Tony strode to the side door and pulled it open, the glorious smell of a well-cooked burger soaking into his clothes. He smiled to himself and chose to sit at the bar. He smiled at the woman two stools down. She had a book propped up against a napkin dispenser and a hefty plate of fries smothered in gravy. She smiled back briefly, and then went back to reading and munching on her southern concoction.

"What'll it be, hun?" A waitress straight from the 50's strode up to the counter and pointed at Tony with the pen in her hand. The mustard yellow smock covered the front of her blue sweater and skirt. Her hair was piled ridiculously high on her head, giving her the tousled bee-hive look. Tony glanced around the restaurant, noticing another waitress in the same getup. She smacked her gum and cocked her hip as she waited for an answer.

Tony pushed his menu away. "I want the biggest burger you have, a plate of the heart-attack fries girly over here has," He pointed at the oblivious woman, "and some water." He watched the waitress jot down his order and twitch away. For the first time he looked around the room. The floor was blue and yellow tile to match the blue and yellow booths. The walls had an odd farm scene going on with sheep and cows dancing with their heads thrown back. If the food was any good, he could see himself coming back.

Soon enough, his food arrived. Along with his gravy-fries, the waitress set down the largest burger Tony had ever seen. "Just to warn ya, this here burger weighs about four pounds. The meat is three by itself, the toppins do the rest. Call me if ya need me." She pulled a glass from under the bar and poured him some water, then pulled a cigarette from her apron pocket. "But don't need me." She smiled and made her way back to the kitchen.

"Have you ever seen a burger as big as your face?" Tony directed his question to the still absorbed woman. She paused, a sopping fry halfway to her opened mouth and a surprised look on her face.

She hurriedly ate her fry and wiped her mouth on a napkin. "Uh… Yes, actually. I come here quite often." She smiled a sheepish smile and picked at her plate of fries. "I see you ordered the smothered fries?" She finally turned towards him, pushing a strand of wildly curly hair behind her ear, and looked him in the eye.

Tony was mildly surprised by her Southern drawl for a moment, but mostly he was lost in her intelligent eyes. The way she looked at him, it completely threw him off guard and off his game. "Oh. Yes. Fries. Gravy." He mentally slapped himself for sounding so stupid. "I'm Tony. And you are…?" He swirled a fry in the air with one hand, and held his monster burger in the other.

"Hermione Granger, PI, but you can call me Hermione." She smiled more boldly now and stuck a hand out to shake his, but withdrew it as she noticed they were otherwise occupied. "I know who you are. You are not just _Tony_. You are the famous Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man." By now she was grinning like a fool. She quickly composed herself and turned back to her book. "Or, at least, that's what I've read."

Tony could see the blush that crawled up her cheeks. He would have never guessed this beautiful woman was a Tony Enthusiast, but it somehow made her even more endearing. He, too, turned back to his plate and started to eat, his mind working as he chomped on the best burger his taste buds had ever had the pleasure of tasting. _Whoever this Lou is, he makes a hell of a burger_, Tony thought. Eyeing the plate of fries, he nibbled the tip of one. "Hey! This is good-" He turned to thank Hermione for the idea, but she had left. Tony sighed and finished his food. As he stood to pay his bill, he noticed writing on a napkin.

Stark,

I don't do this sort of thing normally, so DO NOT peg me as that sort of girl. Feel free to call me. I would love to learn more about your work. And maybe a date. Maybe.

Sincerely, Granger.

A number was scrawled on the flipside, along with a smiley face. This girl was different than most Tony Enthusiasts, but he liked it. A lot.

As he paid for his bill, he mulled over the whole encounter and tried to unravel the mystery that was Hermione Granger. She was a private investigator, but interested in Tony's work. What was his work? Stark Industries? Iron Man? Tony shook his head and left the restaurant, intent on making it home and working on his latest suit. This girl would not get under his skin. He would just shake her out of his mind and be done with it.

Hermione Granger

Hermione kept her composure for the cab ride to her hotel, and then up the stairs to her room. She hurriedly pushed the room key in and almost fell into the room. When the door closed, she threw her purse down and did a silent dance, her fists clenched against her chest.

"Tony Stark! Tony freaking Stark!" Hermione screamed into the room, grinning all the while. "And I gave him my number…" She backed up against the door and slowly slid down to the floor. "What if he thinks I'm desperate? I'm not desperate. I'm not. Am I?" She dropped her head onto her knees. "Crookshanks. I need advice, sweetums."

A mewl sounded from the restroom and a large, ginger cat came prancing out. He pushed his head into Hermione's arms and forced himself into her lap. Hermione couldn't rest her head on her knees with him in her lap, so she opted to pet him instead. "What do you think, Crookshanks? Should I have left that note? What if he calls me? Oh goodness! What if he calls me?!"

Hermione jumped up, sending Crookshanks to the floor with a hiss. She grabbed her purse and rushed to the desk near the window, spilling nearly everything in it as she went. Her phone battery had died earlier that morning and she hadn't had time to charge it. If Tony had called already, she wouldn't have been able to answer it. A nasty feeling began to bubble up in her stomach at the thought of him not being able to reach her. He would probably think she chickened out and decided to ignore him.

She pawed through the pockets and found her phone and its charger. She then crawled under the desk to plug the charger into the wall. When she emerged from under the desk, she fell into a chair and clicked the smaller end into her phone's outlet. The little apple logo popped up and glowed as it turned on, taking its own sweet time as Hermione nervously chewed her lip. After what seemed like an hour, the home screen appeared. No missed calls. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and laid her phone down.

"I was probably overreacting, anyways." She spoke to the irritated cat, who now sat on the bed swishing his tail back and forth. Hermione picked up the contents of her purse that lay scattered from the door way to the desk, muttering to herself as she put each item in the appropriate pocket. "Of course he wouldn't have called me yet. It's only been an hour or so. Why would he want to call me, anyways? He most likely has girls fawning over him every day. I'm no different. Well, I _am_ different. I'm not after his money, or even a night with him to tell my friends about. I want to know why he does all of it. How he chooses to build each suit. I want to ask him about the first suit. And possibly go out for some coffee. He is kind of handsome…"

Crookshanks had been watching her wander around the room cleaning up lipsticks, stray coins, and folded bits of paper. He hopped from the bed and sauntered to the desk, crouching low before he jumped up onto it. Then he did something odd; he sat directly onto Hermione's phone and stayed there. When Hermione finally stopped talking to herself and fell into bed with her newest mystery novel, she didn't notice Crookshank's absence. Nor did she notice the muffled ringing that came from underneath the disgruntled cat, who shifted his weight as to quiet it.

Several hours passed before Hermione set down her now finished book. She scooted to the edge of the bed and stretched her arms out before her. "Crookshanks, would you like some kitty food?" Hermione scanned the room and smiled when she saw Crookshanks stretched out in a sunbeam that had settled on the desk. She gathered him up in her arms and carried him to the bathroom. She hummed an old song to herself as she opened a can of cat food, wrinkling her nose as she got a whiff. "Crookshanks, this food smells not so good."

Crookshanks mewled in response and batted his empty dish. Hermione smiled at him and scooped the food into his dish. "As long as you like it, silly cat." She giggled at the expressive cat, who had begun to eat like he had never seen food before. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you haven't eaten in a week!" She stroked him along his back and over his tail before standing back up. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and turned towards her reflection. Her reddish-brown hair was curly today, and she didn't like it. She tried to smooth down the tangle of curls with one hand and ran a brush through it with the other. It was useless. She knew if she didn't spend an hour on it attacking the mess with a straightening iron and hair spray, it would go back to its natural state.

She poked her tongue at her reflection and walked back into the main room. Her body stiffened as she remembered the Tony Stark ordeal. She hurried to the desk and unplugged her phone. A missed call! A tiny icon at the top of the screen showed that she had a voicemail, as well. Hermione hugged the phone to her chest and squealed. He had called her! Really truly called her! Before she lost her nerve, she dialed her voicemail number and punched in the security code.

"Uh. I think this is the right number, so, uh, hi. This is Tony. Tony Stark. From the restaurant today, but you probably already know that. Oh, geez, I sound so stupid. Here, if you still think you would like to talk to me, call me back. Or don't, that's cool, too. Yeah. Bye."

Hermione clicked the end button and sat down. That was what she least expected. She had always thought the Great Tony Stark was so put together and suave, but she must have been mistaken. The Tony she just heard was really_ awkward_. She frowned, wondering why he had seemed so uncomfortable. Whatever the reason, she was unsure if she wanted to call him back. Maybe he was only calling her so she wouldn't feel terrible and he didn't want her to call back. But he had said to call him back, didn't he? Hermione dropped her head onto the desk and rested her cheek against the cool surface.

"What's the worst that could happen? He could not answer, that's what. If he really doesn't want to talk to me, he will not pick up and then I can move on. It's that easy." She sighed and picked up her phone once more, her thumb hovering over the call button. She took a deep breath and hit it, bringing the phone to her ear. One ring. Then another. Two more and she was ready to hang up, but then the receiver clicked.

"Hello? Hermione?" A husky voice sounded from the other end.

"Oh, hi! Yeah, I saw you called." _Play it cool, Granger, _Hermione thought. She bit her cheek until it hurt, holding back all the words she needed to spout out. "What's up?" Her eyes went wide, and she nearly hung up right then._ Did I really just say that?!_

Tony laughed, but quickly cleared his throat. "Oh, nothing much, just working on a project. What is up with you?"

Hermione was unsure if he was making fun of her, so she tried to let it go. "I just finished a book. And then I fed the cat." She bit her cheek harder, wishing she wasn't so socially inept.

"Okay, so this conversation is going nowhere fast. Would you have dinner with me?" Tony's question was abrupt, and silence hung in the air for a moment.

"Yes! I mean, that would be great! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, as I'm sure you know, but this weekend would be awesome." She squeezed her eyes shut and grinned. Tony Stark had just asked her out. Twelve hours ago, she had never met the man, and now she was going to have dinner with him.

"Are you eating Thanksgiving dinner with family?" His voice sounded small.

Hermione hadn't planned on eating thanksgiving dinner with anyone but Crookshanks. "Not exactly. I'm in town on business. I assumed you would be." She picked at her nails, glad he wasn't there to see how nervous she was.

"I'm sure you know who my dad was. Emphasis on the past tense. JARVIS will be the only one to keep me company for the holidays. Unless you would like to join me, that is." His voice definitely sounded timid to Hermione. She never would have thought Tony Stark could be shy.

"I would be glad to join you, Tony. What time?" Hermione was beaming by now. Not only was she going to be having dinner with him, she would get to see his home. And quite possibly his lab. She kept in a squeal of joy.

"Be ready around seven and I'll pick you up. Where are you staying?"

"I'm at the La Quinta on 114th. Thank you, Tony. I appreciate this. Your generosity and all." It was all Hermione could do to not tell him that this was a dream come true, but that would probably freak him out.

"You're welcome, Hermione. I'll see you tomorrow evening."

"Okay, bye." She heard a click and pulled the phone away from her ear. She gingerly sat it down and leaned back in her chair. Closing her eyes, she imagined a sports car pulling in to the hotel. She would step out of the lobby in a long, green dress- "Oh, no! I don't have a dress!" She jumped up and found her baggage, searching through it for the dress she knew wasn't in there. She checked her watch, and saw that it was nearly 6 o'clock.

Hermione grabbed her purse and cell phone and rushed out the door. If she was quick enough, she could make it to the mall and find a dress before everything closed. Tomorrow night would be perfect.


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N: This one is just from Tony's view, but it gets some of his emotions out there in the open. Enjoy!)

**Note: I don't own anything but the situations I created, etcetera, etcetera!**

Tony Stark

Tony clicked his headset off and leaned back into the wall. He had just invited the most intriguing woman he had ever met to his house. Hermione Granger was intelligent and stunningly beautiful, but in a modest way. She wasn't the usual kind of girl that left her number on a napkin, and something told Tony that this was the first time she had ever done something so daring. She was a puzzle, and he wanted to figure her out.

"JARVIS, do we have food for Thanksgiving?" He pushed himself from the wall and made his way upstairs and into the kitchen.

"Yes, sir. Miss Potts had enough food for an army brought to the house. Do you need it to be prepared?"

Tony thought for a moment. Did he know enough about cooking that he could pull off an entire Thanksgiving feast? "I think I might try to cook it. Search how to cook a turkey, please." He pulled open the glass door of the refrigerator and poked around for the turkey. It was huge! At least twenty pounds, and big enough to feed a family of ten, more than he and Hermione would need.

"The majority of recipes state that the turkey needs to be cooked for several hours, most state for more than ten hours. I suggest we ask someone for help, sir. Do you know how to cook something so large?" JARVIS sounded incredulous, which was unusual for him.

"Find a deli; see if they sell cooked turkeys. I can't cook. You can't cook. This is silly." Tony threw his hands in the air. "One man and an interface trying to cook a Thanksgiving dinner for some girl we don't even know-" A look of realization passed over his face. "JARVIS, look up Hermione Granger. She's a private investigator, probably from the south." He began pacing around the kitchen.

JARVIS projected a screen onto the south wall of the kitchen and scrolled through pages of information on every Hermione Granger that had ever graced the internet. It was only a few seconds before he found a private investigator from Alabama with name and age match. "These encrypted files show that she was born in Montgomery and currently lives in Dadeville. Not married, no dependents, and works for the state of Alabama. She specializes in political and murder cases, and has helped state officials put away a long list of corrupt people." A news coverage of Hermione played across the screen; the newscaster extoled the transgressions she had attested. "This is the woman who is interested in your work, sir?"

Tony halted in his pacing and leaned against the island counter. "JARVIS, I want to know more about her. Is that wrong?"

The AI stalled. "Excuse my candor, sir, but it seems your human emotions are drawn towards her. What of Miss Potts?" The projection on the wall was withdrawn and all was silent for a few moments

Tony drew a deep breath and straightened. "I can't think about Pepper now. If she said she wasn't coming back, then she probably won't." He swiped a hand across his brow and closed his eyes, searching for the words he so badly needed. "If Pepper chose to leave, there isn't anything I can do about it. She was always stubborn, you know that." When he opened his eyes, the pain still lingered. "Hermione approached me and she seems to like me for more than just my title. Whatever happens happens, and I won't let it get to me."

He smiled a little. "I am Ironman, aren't I?" He pushed away from the countertop and walked from the kitchen to the front room. The glass panel would have to be mended before the dinner. Tony dug in his pocket for his cell and dialed his usual repairman. Being Ironman generally meant a lot of repairs when new developments were added to his suits.

"Hey, Tony. How bad is it this go-around?" Simon had Tony's number programmed in his phone and knew why he had called. He only ever called for some drastic damage that would take a team of men and a couple days to fix. "Collapsed wall? Or an explosion again?" He chuckled.

Tony sighed at Simons teasing tone. "It wasn't me this time. Well, not directly. A vase shattered one of the east wall windows. How long would that take? Please tell me just a few hours, Simon." He kicked a piece of glass across the hardwood floor.

"Just that? Yeah, that wouldn't take too long. I have the measurments of those windows somewhere. I'll cut a panel and be over there in the morning. Anything else?"

"Do you not have any faith in me? Things break, Simon."

Simon's covered laugh was just audible through the line. "There _is_ something else, isn't there?"

Tony frowned at the floor and spoke with an exasperated tone. "We all know welding is dangerous. Those torches are volatile. And my lab walls aren't the sturdiest…"

"I'll do an assessment and see if we can fit the lab with cinderblock walls, but I can only add so many safety measures, Tony. You have to be careful!"

Simon only worked for Tony. All of the damage he did to his own house during the many experiments kept him busy most months and he didn't need to take any other jobs. It helped that Tony paid more than what was required of the majority of the jobs.

"I know! I try. I get distracted." Tony ran his hand through his hair and furrowed his brow. "Quit making me feel guilty! It is my house. I can break it if I want to."

Simon laughed out loud this time. "As long as you keep calling me, break anything you want. I'll see you in the morning, Tony."

Tony ended the call and stalked back to his lab, grumbling all the way. _I_ will_ break anything I want!_, he thought. He suddenly remembered his dinner date and doubled back to his bedroom. He flung open his wardrobe and stared at the suits hanging there. He flipped through them and decided on a deep blue pinstripe suit. He found his Thanksgiving tie that sported pumpkins and cornucopias. He hung the ensemble on his bed frame and sat down.

He may have told JARVIS that he wasn't worried about Pepper, but couldn't force himself to believe it. He tried to jar his thoughts into pretending everything was fine. He laid back on the bedspread and pushed his emotions away as he organized his mind.

Pepper was gone. Hermione was going to be in his home the following evening. He did not feel the need to shamelessly flirt with her as he did with most women. He was actually nervous when speaking to her and that scared him. He missed Pepper terribly, but he felt that she had not lied to him when she left. He has screwed up with her too many times. He was scared the same thing would happen with Hermione. He was scared. He had never been scared by something like this before and wasn't sure how to undertake these emotions.

Tony laid in bed thinking until he fell asleep sprawled out and fully dressed. He had not slept so peacefully for months and his dreams stayed pleasant throughout the night. Not one of them had Pepper in them.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey! I'm back! This chapter kind of explains some of Hermione's background. To answer some questions: She is not a witch in this crossover, she does, however, have friends from the Harry Potter world (who are also non-magical for meshing reasons). She is sort of OC, but only because I didn't want to include magic. Her Hermione-ish tendencies will show themselves throughout the story, though! She is still as in-your-face as ever :) Enjoy and Review!

(Post A/N: Pepper is gonna show soon :DDD (I shall leave with that, haha))

(I don't own anything, blah-de-blah)

Hermione Granger

Hermione sat on the edge of her bed eyeing her new dress in the mirror across the room. She had wanted something a little revealing, but not too crazy. She didn't want it to be too formal, either. She had spent nearly four hours crawling through department stores and boutiques before she found it in a window of little shop that was nearly closed. She rushed in and asked for it in her size before the sales clerk finished counting the money in the register.

The dress was definitely eye catching and completely perfect; Hermione still couldn't believe her luck. The shimmery material felt like silk and flowed like honey across her body when she moved. The hem fell just above her knees and twirled when she turned sharply, making light bounce off the blue sparkles flecked in the black cloth. The tight quarter sleeves balanced everything. Hermione didn't know much about fashion, but she was sure this was the pinnacle of Thanksgiving dinner dresses, and that she would rock it.

She stood and watched herself walk back to the wardrobe, observing the way the hem flowed out behind her, making it look like she was gliding. She undressed and hung the dress back in its bag so any stray kitty hair wouldn't find its way to it and crept into bed. She pulled the sheet to her chin and closed her eyes and waited for the images to come like they always did at night.

Nearly a year had passed since everything in her small world had imploded in on itself. Hermione was a private investigator for the state of Alabama. She had started out as a curious news journalist but quickly realized her talent for finding out things people didn't want her to know. The majority of information she exposed wasn't the kind of things newspapers wanted, but the local police were more than happy to take the names of people she knew were selling illegal weapons or working prostitution rings. Hermione gave the Dadeville Police Department several dozen "anonymous" tips in the first year.

After months and months of friends telling her she could make it a living, Hermione found all the right people to make it legal to tail people and find out all their dirty secrets and get paid for it. She worked for years in Dadeville and Montgomery before state officials started requesting her for larger cases. She had her hands in murder cases, political cases, and other such cases, and she loved it. She was naturally probing and inquisitive and could talk people into spilling everything they knew without seeming suspicious.

It did not matter, though. None of it mattered anymore. Hermione wasn't even sure she could go back to investigative work again. She had finished her last case and she was going to move on. That was why she had found her way to California, after all. The halting end to her 8 year career ended with her best friend dead and she couldn't sleuth her back to life. Hermione clenched her fists as the thought of Ginny's body sent shudders through her.

Hermione had been working on a particularly difficult drug lord for several months, intent on figuring out how he moved his immense product from continent to continent. She had all the names and enough proof to put the despicable man behind bars for life, but without knowing the route and ways, the process would continue, just with a different boss. Hermione regretted not turning in her evidence sooner, she regretted not getting the suspect apprehended sooner, not saving Ginny's life. Hermione had seen the dark side of investigating; she had experienced the pain firsthand and couldn't bring herself to face it head on. She hadn't even helped find the killer. The man that killed her did not hide his trail well and was caught quickly, but Hermione still wished she had been there when he was sentenced. She would have found some revenge in seeing the life drain from his expression.

Not even that could help, though. Each night as she closed her eyes, Hermione saw the blank stare, the bullet wound in her temple, the blood running in rivulets across the tile. All these images and more flew through her restless mind as she tried to sleep. Sometimes she slept without any trouble, but most of the time she dreamt of trying to prevent Ginny's death, only to wake up in a cold sweat with the sound of a gun ringing in her ears.

Hermione recounted the day's events and focused on the dinner date the following evening. She thought of how his house would look, what foods they would eat, anything to distract her mind. She eventually drifted into a rare peaceful sleep with Crookshanks curled up on her chest.

Tony Stark

The next morning flew by quickly. Simon took care of the window and set up a day to work on his lab. JARVIS had a ham and turkey delivered to the house; side dishes and pumpkin pie was also delivered from a local grocery service. Tony set the table, rearranging the seasonal fruit a hundred times until he was satisfied with it. It was only noon when he put on his suit and sat at the head of the dinner table.

"What do you think, JARVIS? Everything looks pretty good, huh?" He moved to prop his feet up on the table and stopped halfway there, thinking better of it.

The AI quickly agreed. "Yes, sir. The colors you chose look wonderful on the table. Miss Granger is sure to love it."

Tony smiled. Hermione would love it. He hadn't realized how pressured he felt to make her like the dinner until now. How did this girl get under his skin so easily? And after only one encounter, too. He shook his head and stood. "Set up a smooth playlist; I don't want anything too fast or too slow. And keep it fairly quiet. Something instrumental." He strode from the room and to his lab. He would set up programs to run on his new suit while he waited for seven to come.

Hermione Granger

Crookshanks sat on Hermione's chest and bat at her nose. It was an hour past dawn and he was hungry.

Hermione groaned and swiped at her face, trying to get rid of whatever was touching it. She started to roll over with Crookshanks on her chest. The burly cat hissed and dug his claws into her skin before jumping off the bed, leaving a very awake and pained Hermione yelping. She lifted her tee and hissed through her teeth as she ran a finger over the tears just under her collar bone. They began to trickle blood, staining her fair skin. "Crookshanks!" She pulled her shirt back down and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She stretched and made her way to the bathroom.

After brushing her teeth and using the toilet, she opened a can of cat food. "Crookshanks, your breakfast!" She dumped the pungent mush in his bowl and tossed the empty tin. An angry rumble announced her hungry state. It was nearly 7:30 and Hermione hadn't had anything to eat since lunch the day before. Her stomach protested again as she held an arm wrapped around her middle. The room had several call-in menus, but few would bring her food this early, especially on a holiday.

Hermione quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a clean shirt, stopping for a moment to dab at the drying blood on her chest, and grabbed her phone from the bedside table. She pulled up a map of the neighborhood and found a Waffle House just a few blocks over. An elevator ride down and a quick walk in the warm morning air left her in a greasy booth with a pile of waffles before her. She thought as she chewed, trying to prepare herself for going to Tony's house.

She would play it cool; she would discreetly check it out, maybe ask him about his lab and hint that she wanted to see it. Hermione closed her eyes and imagined all the great technology he would have hidden down there. If she hadn't been so good at sleuthing, Hermione would have gone to college to be an engineer. She loved building things and tinkering with them. Everything that Tony Stark did was everything she loved most.

Hermione finished her plate and ordered a side of bacon to go for Crookshanks. _Not that the heathen deserves it_, she thought to herself. By the time she walked back to her hotel room, it was nearly nine, leaving almost ten hours to kill before she needed to start readying herself for the night.

After giving Crookshanks his bacon, Hermione settled in her bed and found a Lifetime movie to occupy her time for a while. She let her mind go numb and invested herself in the mundane events happening to the movie characters. She watched three movies back-to-back, getting up a few times to grab some food or figure out what Crookshanks wanted. As the fourth movie began, she glanced up at the digital clock on the bedside table. 4:43. She grinned and jumped out of bed.


End file.
